Conquests in Magic for Love
by Albert Scoot
Summary: A man falls through the void and at Louise's feet claims her as his, the world never stood a chance.
1. Author Notes

Author Notes:

I had a thought that placing them all in one place may be more practical as people who would actually read them wouldn't mind reading them here instead of at the end or beginning of each chapter posted. The people who regularly skip them wouldn't be bothered to read them either way.

Chapter 1:

This is the first story I've written in a long time and one I may actually continue for a long time. I wasn't quite happy with the way I wrote it out so I'll probably make some changes to it sometime but it shouldn't be anything major.


	2. What Starts With Zero Ends in Zero

Disclaimer: Subjects and such written about are the owned by whomever it is that owns them.

I had to have been dreaming of her again. The nightmares and dreams of regret would not let me be. I could not take much more of this. It was a cycle that was beginning to affect my daily life beyond repair. I had no friends left at all and my co-workers had grown distant long ago. If I didn't find some sort of solution I was sure I'd break down irrevocably. I simply missed her too much. I needed to be someone else. I needed to love or at least be needed by someone, anyone.

"_Is there anyone who needs anyone to give their life and purpose, I call out to you."_

It was nearing noon on another unsatisfying weekend day. I rose and equipped myself for an outing to do nothing. I opened my bedroom door and walked right through not noticing the impossible portal I had just walked through.

I felt pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced. A bright light flashed from inside me as I was pulled apart. The tearing ending and just as quickly I was put back together with a bone smashing crash. I awoke in the void as that was the only place I could be. I looked at my reflection not recognizing what I saw. It was me but not me at the same time. My features had shifted. I was a substantially taller with a slightly better build but still with the same cropped jet-black hair. My eyes though. They were wonderful. I'd always wanted something more unique and I couldn't have chosen something more unique myself. My irises we color in motion. They flowed from color to color at a whim as I settled them on a soft purple hue for the moment.

I also felt far healthier. I didn't feel out of breath, a result from my years of smoking. Whatever had happened to me was not likely to happen again. I never even said goodbye to my cigarettes.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cheap lighter. I tossed it into the void and watched it flow silently. It's not like it had been a gift from her anyways. What kind of gift would are "gift lighters" anyway. Here's something to think of me while you smoke away your lifespan… Actually I may have kicked the habit if she'd gotten me a lighter as a gift. Damn, even in here I still think of her and miss her, so much for oblivion being a solution. I don't think she's here with me; she must have gotten into heaven or something. This place doesn't anything like what Virgil described. If this is really purgatory I'm going to have traverse all the levels to find her aren't I.

"_Doesn't the hero usually get a magic sword or at least a guide?"_

A sheathed sword appeared before me and I found that I had been standing all along. I walked to it, reached out and as I grasped its hilt I felt ice spread through me as my blood pulled all the warmth from my body. When it finally abated I felt more detached and hardened in spirit. The memories and fears didn't fade but no longer felt as overwhelming. I was even slightly at peace. I looked around for a bag of holding but having no luck at finding one began to search for an exit. I began to hear a voice, it felt like her voice. I ran towards it and found its source after what might have been moments or days. Through the portal I saw an open field with kids in the forefront and a castle looming behind them. I reached in and down, down I went and fell at her feet. Without having ever spoken to her or even knowing what she was really like, I fell in love again this time at first sight. For the first time in so many years she wasn't at the forefront of my thoughts.

"Who are you?"

Though lacking any sort of mastery of whatever language she was speaking to me I was able to discern enough to understand that I was the one she kept going on about in her tirade. I was grateful for the respite during which I was able to learn a number of things among the most important was that my love's name is Louise. From the jeers around us it was clear she was not held in high respect. I had a sword and more importantly a purpose. I was there for a reason and I was quickly adjusting to the thought of being her knight. I'd failed my charge before but I was not going to fail this one. I frequently caught the word "Zero" thrown at her in a disdainful manner. Regardless of the reason for that name it was clear that I had to find her a way to gain respect from her peers. Monikers are difficult to lose and the best course of action would be to help for her to rise to the name and turn it into a badge of honor. I'd been called worse things back home so perhaps it wouldn't be so hard after all there were worse tiles to bear. From the uniforms and their ages I discerned that this was likely a private academy of sorts though of what, I was yet to determine. Behind her were several of her peers and I could tell they were still openly mocking her as she kept getting more and more riled up in her argument with the man before her. From her fruitless discussion with who I assumed to be her professor or some sort she turned back to me and placed her arms on the sides of my head.

_"You should count yourself lucky. Normally you'd go your whole life without a noble doing this to you."_

She pulled me to herself and though panicked as I was at our proximity I was able to intercept her lips with the tips of my fingers, regretfully rejecting her advance.

"I do not understand why you would attempt to kiss me. I highly doubt you are as taken with me as I am with you."

Taking her hand I finally lifted myself off the ground. I was reminded how small she truly was as she was pulled into me as I rose. I did not tower over her much but she felt too vulnerable in my arms. As I caressed her cheek and placed a loose strand behind her ear I whispered into her ear.

"You should save that kiss for me for when you find yourself unable to hold back."

I leaned in the last amount of space and kissed her softly below her earlobe. Looking at her unreadable expression I felt the stirring inside me storm powerfully. Her soft pink hair and the matching soft pink eyes now filled with indignation looked back at me and I felt whole. It was her. It could only ever be her, just as it always had been. No wonder I never got over her back home, she had been here waiting for me all along. Having finally found what I'd wanted all along I composed myself and stated my decision.

"If I should ever learn of anyone else having taken what is mine, I will vanquish them and punish you accordingly. Should you ever reject me for another I will leave and you will never feel whole again. If one would seek to take you from me I will smite them with impunity. Remain true to only me and you will always know peace, happiness and love wherever we may be. This upon my life and honor I swear to you, my Louise."

As I spoke to her I felt her anger slowly dissipate and was replaced with a blush that increased with every word. After finishing my words I stood back, still holding her hand I kneeled before her, with her peers watching us from the side. I removed my mother's wedding ring from the necklace around my neck. I looked into her mesmerized eyes as she gasped, realizing what I was doing. I placed it in her left hand's ring finger and placed my father's into my own.

"With these rings I bind our vows."

The ritual completed I kissed her knuckles and rose beside her once more as I felt the thunder and lightning race through my veins in victory. A red glow connected our rings as I stoked her cheek and laid a kiss on it. This time everyone was speechless including my Louise. Apparently some tones and gestures are universal. At least I was able to correctly stake my claim on her and looking at her shocked expression I was unable to keep myself from smirking at my accomplishments and kissed her forehead lightly.

Some of her peers seemed a bit dumbfounded at my actions, the rest were confused at what was going on but I could hear snickers from a few, Though one blue haired girl surprised me with her reaction a bit. I could see tenderness, pain and unshed tears in her eyes while her dragon attempted to console her with soft nudges. I met her eyes for a moment and she walked away with a sad expression on her face. Louise had finally snapped out of it and pulled away from me with what I could only describe as righteous indignation. Fire raged in her eyes as she tried to remove the ring from her finger and to both of our surprise it would not come off, she looked at me expectantly pointing at her ring. Of course I made no motion to remove it or my own and found the tips of my fingers fascinating to study. With her efforts being futile she grinded her teeth and went to her wand. Undeterred I held my ground as she pointed it at me, unheeding the gasps from her peers. I wondered to myself why they were still sticking around; their intrusion upon our private moments was becoming a nuisance. With a massive boom I was thrown back several feet and I could feel blood seeping out of my ears and felt numerous bruises and cuts all over my body from the burst and tumble I took. Luckily I didn't have any broken bones and my clothing didn't look damaged.

I rose to my feet once again and limped over to Louise as gracefully as I could. I must have looked worse than I felt because she actually looked ashamed for attacking me. I had actually expected her to react much worse though the magic had taken me by surprise. Even after going through that portal and getting teleported here it was obvious I there were a lot of things I was unaware of. I had to rectify that soon. She turned back to her professor and he continued to shake his head as she argued with him pointing at her ring and me. She walked back as angry as ever and attempted to kiss me again. I placed my hand over her mouth this time while holding her wand hand tightly in the other. She looked back to the professor one last time and he shook his head again. She turned back to me with a defeated look in her eyes and let me hold her from behind though she took the opportunity to bite my hand. As I stood with my chin rested in the crook of her neck as she continued to maul my hand while the others few off I realized a few things.

One, this is a magic school of some sort for nobles apparently, judging by the manner which several of them behaved. Two, only my Louise wasn't able to fly for some reason. Three, even with Louise inspecting her ring in a defeated fashion with tears in her eyes I was happy to be holding her. I had been afraid that someone would try to separate us, though I suppose that could still happen. Lastly, her scent is that of a very sugary strawberry. She was much too naïve and innocent to survive through all that she had asked of me. I would have to forge her into steel, may she forgive me some day.

She pulled away from me and led me away from where everyone else had gone. I attempted to speak with her but she simply raised her open hand at me making me cease my words as she pinched the space between her eyes. As we walked through the grounds I could tell that the rumor mill must have spread what had happened already. My Louise's shoulder drooped a bit. I held back my attempts at affection. I did not believe she would welcome them at the moment. We finally made it to her room in the castle which I found to be slightly smaller than what I had though my tiny room to have been. Even without consummating our relationship I expected us to remain in the same room and this would definitely not do. I would have to ask around for better if not larger accommodations. On top of that I did not pass anything hinting at any semblance of modern conveniences of any kind. The lack of machinery along with any sort of piping made it quite obvious that I would have to rig them up myself. Which would not be very difficult to do but I'd rather keep information from my homeworld between Louise and myself.

"So…"

I started, wondering just how we were going to communicate. I would eventually learn their language just by being immersed in it but learning new languages was never my forte though theirs did bear a striking resemblance to some of the ones I knew. I was also starting to come down from the emotional high from earlier which had driven me to my actions. While I did not regret them in the slightest I did wonder what had influenced me to act so boldly in pubic and what I would follow up with.

"Shut up…"

Louise spoke softly facing away from me with her hands over her face. I really hoped she wasn't crying. I did not want to be the cause of her sadness and it was painful for me to not be able to express myself in a way she would understand better.

"Sorry I didn't quite get that, could you…"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Louise seemed to find no issues with expressing herself as I'd been able to understand most of what she was saying. I hadn't failed to communicate my intentions either though mine had been much broader in scope. I reached for her hand, trying to placate her but I'd pushed too far. She hit me hit another spell. As I felt the force of her explosion through me I wondered if I should have gone for that kiss while I had the chance.

"Oh well, at least it was quick."

Much to my surprise and Louise's I think she understood me.

"I'm assuming that wasn't the intended effect, though I am very grateful that at least you can understand me unless, it works both ways?" I asked, hoping for it to be true. Once again I felt myself wishing I'd gotten that kiss as her next words shattered my perfect image of her.

"You stupid dog, how dare you presume me to be your wife! I am your master. You are nothing more than my slave and a worthless one at that. How could you make that scene! Get this ring off me you stupid dog!"

Louise groaned, "Why couldn't I have gotten something majestic like Tabitha's dragon or a griffin. Even a mole would have been better then you."

My knees gave out at her words and I fell back onto the chair rubbing my face bringing back some of its color that must have fled from her words. How could my Louise say such things, sure I've heard much worse before, I'd even said much worse in not so many words but still. My Louise could not be spouting off such insults and demeaning herself in such a way. I had been willing to accept some quirks; after all we came from vastly different backgrounds. Judging from the two moons in the sky I'd be hard pressed to find anyplace more different yet still habitable by human standards. I would not however allow for her to speak in such a way for any reason especially to me. I knew she had been raised better than to resort to coarse insults but still she continued with her insults. Everyone's got a limit they can't exceed and Louise had vastly over exceeded hers.

"Silence!"

My exclamation had clearly taken her by surprise as she jumped back and fell on the bed. She really shouldn't have been so surprised. Even though I had been treating her with every bit of kindness I could muster she should have known I would not take her verbal abuse without question. I had hoped that we could come to terms in an amicable manner but enough was enough.

"Are you quite finished or do you wish to lower yourself in my eyes even more?"

She was taken aback for a bit before crawling forward to face me as my eyes bore into hers as I moved my seat to face her on the bed.

"You have no right…"

I cut her off despite knowing how much it would anger her but she really needed to understand a few things before she went too far.

"I am your husband to be. I have every right!" I finished by waving my ring in front of her face.

Apparently she had dismissed that point before as she didn't know quite how to respond to that but the fury in her face refused to recede. My hands gripped the armrests with so much force I was impressed they had not shattered yet. Then suddenly they both did and I was disappointed with the failings of this place.

"Nothing here is as high quality as its package would make it seem. It appears I will have to take a hand in improving certain things around here. It's up to you my Louise as to which I improve and what methods I will have to resort to in order to get the results I desire. I will not warn you again. Is that understood?"

By the end of my own tirade I was towering over Louise like a monolith about to strike at a trespassing forest creature prancing as it would. I attempted to cool my anger and gently lifted her face to look up at me.

I asked her again, "Do you understand, my Louise?"

She gulped and shakily answered, "Y-y-yes…"

"Yes, and?"

I raised an eyebrow at her waiting for the rest of her answer hopefully containing an apology mixed in there somewhere but I doubted I would be getting it as she hardly seemed to recall why I was disciplining her at the moment.

"..a-a-n-n-d I-I don't know your name," she said to me and I remembered that I hadn't told her my name yet. Not that it would have made a difference as it wasn't even my real name. Unfortunately my deceased parents took it to the grave with them along with everything else other than the two rings left to me after their cremations.

"Choose my name. I doubt mine would be any use here. I'll even take your last name if you'd like," I answered hoping to get us on some sort of peaceful track. I was getting tired of being angry and disappointed with her. Where was everything I saw in that first glance at her? It's like she's a troupe of totally different people. Where's my Louise?

"…Zero," she said as she looked at her shoes but I could barely make out a small smirk on her lips, thinking she had gotten one over me. There she was. I could see just a hint of my Louise in there. Her choice of name actually made some of my priorities easier though I didn't think the name would help dispel rumors. I suppose I could always claim amnesia and only remember certain aspects when I found it convenient. I nodded at my new name. Despite her reasons for granting me this name I was actually very happy with it. I was much happier with it than I'd been with my previous one anyways. It simply felt right in a way.

"Zero de La Vallière, I think it's rather fitting." I gave Louise a small smile which she slowly returned.

"Of course it is I chose it," she replied with a small huff while puffing out her rather even chest.

"_I'd better remember to keep up the positive reinforcement. Also, I should put her on an exercise regime, she is way too underdeveloped. I wonder if they've got magic for…"_ I thought to myself but had unknowingly been staring at the place in question for too long as Louise picked up on what I was thinking to myself. Apparently she was sensitive about it.

"WHAT ARE YOUR STARTING AT?"

Yes, she was definitely sensitive about the topic. I wondered if I would be able to veer away from the topic and had a thought about dealing with Louise's current issues.

"So you named me Zero? I feel flattered that you would grace me with such a meaningful name but I'm aware that you are not happy that people refer to you as Zero, why?"

At this her face fell and she mumbled to herself a bit and kept pulling away from me every time I reached to lift her face, at least she was learning.

"Louise I find your mumblings endearing but you should answer me more confidently when I ask you a question. Where's that noble spunk you were showing me earlier?"

I had made some informed guesses at what her problem was but held off on voicing them until I got some answers from her. Looking around the room I really hoped they'd at least developed brickwork. I really don't want to go through the hassle of building our home out of stone and mortar. Apparently my question had struck a nerve and I could see her working herself up to another tirade. One sharp look from me had her staring down at her fidgeting feet again. I really need to work on her mood swings. She began to mumble again.

"Louise I'm going to take a walk around why don't you get some rest I'm sure this has been a rather eventful day for you."

I really wanted some answers but it appeared that she was still emotionally beaten from everything that had happened today.

"Don't argue with me Louise. Stay in our room and I'll send up a servant with tea so we can talk later, ok?"

I could see she was about to argue but she shut her mouth and tucked herself into bed dejectedly. I walked over and kissed her brow and felt her shaking slightly. She was also caressing her ring but I doubted she realized it.

"Please don't cry Louise I assure you that whatever pessimistic ideas you have about the future will not come to pass."

I'd guessed her dilemma correctly as she sharply turned around and looked at me. I kneeled down to her eye level and lost myself in her eyes for a time.

"You summoned me to fulfill your desires and that's what I intend to do. I will make sure you are forever revered in the tomes of history. Your greatness will only be limited by your ambitions and I will make sure that regardless of the strife and sacrifices you will happy. I will give you the world and everything it encompasses so do not despair my Louise."

She looked into my eyes looking for deception but found none and seemed almost awed by my declaration. Unsure of how to react to that she simply turned away from me.

"Don't leave the academy…"

I was tempted to retort but let it go and I silently left the room.

I cleaned some of the blood off myself and cleaned the cuts as best I could before walking through the empty halls of the castle. I quickly realized that I had no idea just where to start and pulled my moleskin out. I had been wary of it being useful but my mentors had repeatedly praised its usefulness. I seriously doubted I would have ever used it for more than balancing a coffee table had I not been sent to a new world. I also took out my tactical pen and winced realizing that I was unlikely to find any replacement cartridges and that there was a lot of things I was quickly going to miss. Hopefully the spares I had in my bag would last me long enough to figure out how to make my own pens of some sort. I was not looking forward to writing with quills no matter how _"majestic"_ Louise may have found griffins to be.

Finally reaching the spot where I landed I saw a maid cleaning up the ritual area and picking up my dropped gear. Luckily for me the now torn up messenger bag had kept most of my stuff from being flung out. My laptop had burned out months ago though I would not have been able to power it anytime soon so that wouldn't have been too great a loss. My phone was worthless as there wasn't anyone I could call though its camera may have been useful, oh well it now laid in silence its screen broken in. I think the maid had inadvertently stepped on it judging by the guilty glance she was giving me as I inspected it. My mp3 player had been no worse for wear but it would quickly have been useless as well had I not conveniently bought one of those solar panel chargers for it. It even had a little flashlight on it, no telling how useful that could be if everyone relied on fire for light here. That was probably why the school had been made out of stone.

I looked back at my bag storing everything back into it as well as I could silently mourning its loss. The damn thing had been expensive but maybe I could get a replacement for it made from genuine leather. It would definitely be more durable than the broken thing I had in my hands. I looked back at the maid as she tried to be inconspicuous. She'd probably been curious as to what all my stuff was. I should have paid better attention to how familiar I was with everything. She should have been able to realize what my mp3 player and headphones were for. This was bad I could not have people questioning me about the "magic" my artifacts did. I could tell that the maid was finally working up her courage to speak with me.

"My name is Siesta I work as a maid for the Tristain Academy of magic. I was just gathering your belongings to return them to you. I was curious about what some of them were I was wondering …"

This was getting worse and I really hated having to do this but I could not have people asking questions about me and my gear. She seemed nice if a bit naïve and hoped what I was about to do would not do any lasting harm. At the least she would learn to be more wary of strangers and probably men as a whole.

"I know what you and your curious fingers were up to."

My words formed slowly and the cold demeanor I took up removed the smile from her face. She looked around realizing she was all alone with me. She was trapped even as we stood in a wide and empty patch of dirt. Her terrified eyes frantically searched for aid even as she attempted to compose herself. Deciding to speed this along before I lost my nerve I went in for the kill. Reaching into the hidden pocket in my bag I took out another pen, this one like my other had a second purpose. I popped off the cap and she gasped. Before us was the unsheathed knife that it doubled as. It was of course a tiny thing barely as long as my fingers but with the silence left behind by my previous words it may as well have been a foot long dagger with blood dripping from it. I had only bought it because its cost would make up the difference in the shipping and it looked very nice though I doubted I would ever open any letters with it as it had been intended to. I only carried it along as a utility knife. She stepped back getting the nerve to run away in any direction away from me but I calmly stepped forward and kept her eyes glued to mine.

"I would hope that you can keep all your questions and observations to yourself. It would be best for all of us wouldn't you agree?"

By the end I had reached her and she realized she'd lost her chance to flee. I grasped her arm and pulled her closer to me. I had dropped the knife into my bag without her realizing it and pressed my finger to her slightly below her navel. At my touch she paled and began to tremble wondering which of the horrid scenarios would come to pass. I really hated myself at times but I moved on wanting to end this before she lost control of her bodily functions or I lost my nerve entirely.

"I expect you to keep silent on the matters I've indicated. I would hate for Ms. Vallière's family to become involved. Do you have any family Siesta?" She trembled fiercely realizing just how much she had at stake should she spread any of her theories about me. That should cut down on any rumors to counteract the explanations I had in mind. I leaned over to her ear even as she leaned away in disgust.

"I am not interested in you or your family, Siesta. Do not force me to be and you will never have to fear me."

My last threat given I let her go and assumed a non-threatening pose I'm sure was completely ineffective at the moment.

"I require you to bring some refreshments to Ms. Vallière and me later this evening. You are dismissed."

Snapping out of her stupor she quickly fled towards the castle grounds as I watched her go. That had not been easy to do. Walking towards a different part of the castle I reflected that I would not be able to hold this persona for very long. It had taken a lot out of me to even act angry at Louise and then at the curious but nice Siesta. It was just not in me to be so cold especially towards lovely young women.

"_This is not what I had been expecting when I took that sword from there."_

I briefly grasped the hilt of my sword and continued on. I eventually came across some students and passed by them without notice. It was easier to pick up information now that I could understand what they were saying no matter how unflattering their words were. To their delight Louise had apparently "failed" to summon a familiar. By the manner some of them used their magic offhand it was clear that to most of them their magic was something they took for granted. It didn't seem important enough to take notice of though they seemed to exploit it at will. Much the same way people in my home looked at technology. It was impressive for sure but most could not even understand or even bothered to learn how their televisions played back the images or even how their refrigerators worked.

From what I had seen so far familiars tended to follow in line with their mage's magical affinity. I saw earth, fire, wind and water. I was unable to find any indications of heart and wondered if this place would have some sort of Captain Planet. The thought had me chuckling in humor, the first for the day. I also learned that Louise was seen as some sort of failure by the population at large. Her success rate had been "Zero" and even though she was from the prestigious Vallière family she was the bottom of the barrel at the academy. The only thing that had kept her peers from physically bullying her had been her family's stature. The only family with higher standing was the Tristain royal family.

I'd also heard whispers about me. The most prevalent rumors were that I had been paid to act the part of a familiar by Louise. Others included that I was her illicit lover and we were planning to run away together. Some of the others included that her family interfered with the familiar summoning to sneak me in so I could tutor her. This helped me solidify my public alibi and I was rather pleased by how easy it would be to pull off. I really hoped that Louise didn't have any fiancés unknown to the public or I would be facing some opponents soon.

"_I should figure out how to wield a sword soon."_

After exploring the campus and jotting down some notes I walked through the grounds as several couples took their afternoon teas. I wondered if they even had any teas I'd like. It was one more thing to miss from back home and another priority to add. I needed to find a way to get supplies from back home. If Louise was as rich as I imagined her family would no doubt have some spare jewels and gold I could barter back home and make a fortune from. Bringing back some commodities and supplies would be invaluable. From what I'd seen so far the best method of ground transportation was horse pulled carriages. I didn't see any magical planes in the sky so perhaps their air travel was similarly restricted. I'd seen dragons but I doubted the nobles would lower themselves to do honest work. The sci-fi fanatic in me also wondered how expensive it would be to colonize both moons, I mean they had magic surely it would be easier than any planned attempts back home.

As I wondered at how effective an interplanetary spice trade would be I had not been paying much attention to where I was going and bumped into a student. Silently cursing myself for my carelessness I rose and lifted the boy before me.

"Sorry about that I wasn't paying as much attention I should have been."

He looked at me for a moment and I had an idea. There were plenty of students around us and I could tell they were curious as to who I was. A short discussion with the guy in front of me could do wonders to establish my identity early. He smirked at me slightly and I could tell I was likely to meet some of my goals but would likely take some blows as well, nothing ventured, nothing gained I suppose.

"That's no problem I'm sure a commoner such as you must be out of his depths in such company." I inwardly rolled my eyes and calmed myself before what was sure to be an exasperating experience.

"Yes I'm unfamiliar with this area of the world and most everything else at the moment." The boy before me shot me a confused look.

"Guiche de Gramont," he said extending his hand in greeting.

"What do you mean everything?"

"Zero," I replied shaking it and sitting into the chair next to me hoping he would do the same so I could establish my identity. Lucky for me he seemed intrigued by my name and followed suit, our audience took up spots on the tables around us. I had them, I had them all.

"I honestly don't recall much besides this morning. The earliest I can recall is me waking up after being thrown at Louise's feet. I'm fairly certain Zero isn't my real name. I also woke up with some really strange tastes in my mouth. I think I was potioned."

I could feel everyone completely focused on my words, everyone loves a gossip fodder. They would discuss my words among themselves later but with so many listening to the same words coming directly from my mouth I knew what I was saying would likely trump any other rumors they'd hear as long as I closed up any gaps in my story.

"You were potioned?" asked Guiche in a very shocked voice. He believed me and wanted to hear more regardless of how absurd the rest of my tale would be. I reached down and poured myself a sip of tea as even the servants nearby hung on my every word.

"It's the only explanation I can find for not remembering anything other than a few details."

"What kind of details?" he asked really getting into it. This was working out far better than I'd expected, he hadn't even retorted that Louise would have been the most likely culprit to potion me.

"Well I remember living somewhere very hot and dry. I'm not sure if that was my current home or somewhere I lived in as a child." I took a small sip to keep them hanging.

"One of the only things I'm sure of is that I'm an orphan. I can even recall my parents dying when I was very young but I doubt I ever knew their identities. I get the feeling I didn't have any other family members to raise me after that. I also don't recognize the tea I'm drinking at all which leads me to think I wasn't raised a noble, at least not one from this area."

I could tell that the last part made him wary and he quickly dismissed the possibility but there was doubt. My manners were too refined and from everything he'd seen of me I was infallible in the way I held myself. I was respectful but not overly so; regardless of where I had come from I felt myself at ease in the presence of nobles. From the way I freely discussed nobility with him I could not be your average commoner. I could tell he was tempted to hand me his wand for confirmation but held off.

"It sounds like a very interesting tale," he replied skeptically. Now that I had divulged the bulk of my story he was questioning how honest I had been. It was time to get him to ask the right questions.

"It sounds like quite a tale to me as well. I find myself wondering if this has anything to do with me and not Ms. Vallière," I said with a resigned tone. I kept hoping to myself he would give me the opening in I needed.

"_Come on, just ask me! Do it!"_

"What would Louise have to do with it?" he asked, walking right into my plans. If I didn't find the idea so repulsing I would have kissed him.

"That's the question isn't it? What does she have to do with a total stranger showing up at her feet as her "familiar"? This is Louise of the Vallières we're talking about. She has a lot to live up to. She would not go through all this just to make a fool out of herself not to mention the consequences of what has happened." I leaned in slightly while speaking in a conspirical tone making sure others around us would still be able to hear. I didn't want anyone to miss what I was saying. All these people were fools. Who in their right minds would believe any of what I was saying. The magic must have addled their brains. I could see why Louise was so dysfunctional and while it made them easy to manipulate it would make finding competent allies difficult.

"Yes, this doesn't really seem like something Louise would do," Guiche contemplated. "Regardless of her lack of magical ability she has always behaved in a manner befitting her status not to mention she has nothing to gain by having someone pose as her familiar. People would not believe you to be her familiar even if she claimed you were. Attempting to do that would only make her seem desperate and she's not foolish enough to believe lying about it would outweigh the negative reactions. Everyone already assumed she would be unable to summon a familiar anyway." Guiche contemplated on his thoughts for a moment.

"What did you mean by consequences?"

It was time to be creative with my response and I hoped enough of it sounded convincing.

"Louise researched some of her family's books about what happened and found out why Professor Colbert forbade her to try the summoning ritual again after I appeared. She had tried the ritual before and even after failing she had been allowed to try again but something was different this time. We became linked to each other in some manner even though the summoning ritual wasn't carried out correctly. As long as I am her "familiar" she is unable to attempt to summon another, we could both die from the attempt. I think one of potions had a negative reaction to the ritual and formed this unexpected connection between us. The love potion I was fed also didn't help matters. I feel a very powerful attraction to her that I can't explain. Luckily she wasn't fed one as well and doesn't feel the same way towards me. On top of that we can't remove my parents' wedding rings. Someone really wanted to crush her."

I let my words sink in and wondered how much would be taken seriously and which aspects would be easiest to exploit later and I got another idea.

"So that really was what it looked like back there? You really married Louise?" He asked. I pretended to wince at his questions.

"Yes, I'm not sure what came over me to do that but I think my vow magically sealed us in marriage, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"There was a lot of magic floating around back there from all the students' rituals but just because Louise and I are bound to each other doesn't mean Louise approves of it. This came out of nowhere for her and I can't imagine the rest of the Vallières will be too happy about it."

At this there was a moment of silence as my words penetrated their thick skulls. They weren't exactly empty words. Her family was probably going to be furious with me. I should figure out how to use that sword at my side. I felt the silence had gone on long enough and continued.

"You wouldn't know of any enemies her family has or is this just someone's terrible choice of prank?"

Everyone shifted in their seat a bit wondering one of them had done it and hoped the Vallière's enemies hadn't done this out of malice. I'd successfully limited what conclusions they could come to. Regardless of how simple other explanations could work they would only be able to choose between what I offered. Ockham must not have had a razor here and Sherlock never became Holmes. This was way too easy. The seeds of doubt were far too strong for them to seriously contemplate Louise had anything to do with this. The truth that I could possibly have been summoned by Louise to be her familiar was too outlandish to be taken seriously. I quietly finished my tea as everyone around me digested my words leaving their food and drink untouched. I made a motion of looking around and pretending to find the silence unnerving as I rose to take my leave.

"I'm sorry I have to cut this meeting short Mr. Gramont but I find the attention we're receiving a bit unnerving. I really must get back to Ms. Vallière. She seemed very distraught by this as she was greatly looking forward to performing the summoning ritual and she's rather brokenhearted at forever losing such the opportunity to bond with a familiar along with the other repercussions. I thank you for our informative discussion and hope we can speak again at a later date."

He rose to shake my hand and I departed with stares at my back while I was barely able to hold back my giddiness at playing them all for fools. Later on some would question the validity of my words but without anything to say otherwise their words would not be taken as anything more serious than idle gossip as long as Siesta and Louise didn't say otherwise.

Behind me Guiche went back to his seat and wondered if there really had been a nefarious plot and chose to present it to his father to get his opinion on the matter. Unknown to me at the time the Gramonts were well connected in the military and nobility circles, not as well as the Vallières but still high enough to know where to search for plots of intrigue. To Guiche it was not out of the realm of plausibility that someone had plotted against the Vallières and simply struck Louise as she had been the easiest target.

As I walked back to our room I hoped that Louise would be easy to convince about what really happened and helped me with my plans instead of fighting me every step of the way. I really needed to find out the local price of spices and hoped the local currency included vast amounts of gold.

Back in her room Louise awoke with a start.

"_What in the name of Brimir was that!"_


End file.
